Recycling of packaging reaches its highest in 18 years

Thanks to SPV, Portugal recycled 9% more packaging waste in 2014
 

- The highest figure in the last 18 years
 

- Plastic was the material that grew most
 

The amount of packaging sent for recycling in 2014 was the highest ever. Last year Sociedade Ponto Verde (SPV) sent for recycling 419,000 tonnes of packaging recovered from the household waste flow, which was 9% higher than in 2013.
 

It is the highest figure since Sociedade Ponto Verde was set up to manage packaging waste in 1996.
 

"These record numbers are the result of SPV's commitment to fulfilling its legal obligations on behalf of its customers, the municipal systems and all its partners in the integrated packaging waste management system. And of course there is the general public who in the last 18 years has played a crucial role in helping Portugal reach its packaging waste recovery and recycling targets set by EU legislation," said Luís Veiga Martins, Managing Director of Sociedade Ponto Verde.
 

There was a substantial 24% growth in plastic (reaching 87,000 tonnes), paper and cardboard (16.5% growth to 127,000 tonnes) and wood (30% more at 4,000 tonnes) in the household flow from homes, small shops and the Horeca channel.
 

Quantities of household packaging waste sent for recycling:

What we could do with the recycled materials:
 

Over the last 20 years our campaigns have been decisive in raising the Portuguese public's environmental awareness and have made recycling a daily habit for almost everyone.
 

The results achieved in 2014 are also a reflection of SPV's largest ever awareness drive since it went into operation in 1996, Missão Reciclar (Mission Recycle). Since the campaign began in December 2013, the Missão Reciclar team has been to 140 places in 15 districts in mainland Portugal to promote separation of packaging, clarify the recycling rules to people who already separate and collect information on recycling habits and attitudes of households in the municipality. More than 205,000 ecobags have been distributed since the start of the campaign. Ecobags are three reusable bags in the same colours as the recycling bins for separating used household packaging.
 

311,640 tonnes of packaging waste were recycled in the trade and industry flow, in line with the 2013 figure.
 

All together, Sociedade Ponto Verde sent 730,000 tonnes of packaging from the two flows for recycling, which is 5% more than in 2013 and the highest figure in the last 18 years.
 

In spite of the current circumstances, Sociedade Ponto Verde believes that recycling of packaging waste will continue to grow in Portugal in the next few years and reach the targets set in the new Strategic Household Waste Plan. For this to happen, we have to make sure that future strategic choices and decisions are properly thought through so that they do not jeopardise the investment made so far and particularly the results achieved.
 

Since it was set up in 1996, Sociedade Ponto Verde has sent for recycling more than 6.8 million tonnes of packaging waste, three times the weight of the Vasco da Gama Bridge.
 

The companies belonging to the Green Dot system have funded the collection and sorting of packaging waste to the tune of 600 million euros, invested around 50 million euros in communication and paid over 20 million euros to ensure that certain materials were recycled.